Traying device



June 14, 1960 Original Filed April 15, 1954 S. J. GARTNER TRAYING DEVICE2 Sheets-Sheet i IN VEN TOR. Szazzlg J Gather BY H7 NEY June 14, 1960 s.J. GARTNER 2,940,327

TRAYING DEVICE Original Filed April 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR.

Shaky .1 Gather BY 4 ATTO EY United States Patent Oce Patented June 14,1960 TRAYING DEVICE Stanley Jacob Gartner, Emporium, Pa., assignor, bymesne assignments, to Sylvania Electric Products Inc., Wilmington, Del.,a corporation of Delaware Original application Apr. 15, 1954, Ser. No.423,391,

new Patent No. 2,821,825, dated Feb. 4, 1958. Divided and thisapplication Feb. 15, 1957, Ser. No.

4 Claims. (Cl. 74-130) This invention relates to handling deviceswherein articles are transferred one by one from a series of bucketsmounted on a conveyer to pockets in a tray and wherein the tray isshifted from underneath a supply stack to a number of filling positionsand then to a position beneath a second stack for elevation upward to aposition from which the tray may be removed. Each of the pockets mayhave deposited therein one or a selected larger number of articles.

Specifically the invention relates to a grid traying device whereingrids are transferred from a grid making machine to pockets in trays.

It is an object of the invention to provide in such a machine novelmeans for advancing the grid tray for loading pockets therein. Otherobjects will be apparent after reading the following description andclaims.

The invention will be understood after consideration of the followingspecification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in whichFig. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing means for advancing a trayalong a tray carriage from a tray storage stack to a tray receivingstack.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a portion of thetray advancing means.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views showing different positions of operatingmechanism utilized for advancing the trays.

This application is a division of application Serial #423,391 filedApril 15, 1954 and patented on February 4, 1958 as Patent Number2,821,825. Reference may be made to this patent for further descriptionof parts which may be shown herein and not fully described, but whichparts are shown to provide a proper setting for the invention.

' In general, and in so far as the invention herein claimed isconcerned, the machine comprises a carriage 150 rigidly carrying a plate197, the carriage being reciprocatable along a pair of bars 90. Aboutthe plate 197 there is trained chain mechanism 186, as will be describedin detail, upon which are deposited compartmented trays 18 from a supplychute 20 fixed on the carriage, the trays one by one having theircompartments filled by deposit of grids therein by a nozzle 16 whichmoves between a position where it dips down to pick up a grid from abucket 14 to a fixed position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to release apicked up grid to allow it to deposit in a compartment in the tray, andwhich then moves back again to pick up another grid, and by movement ofthe tray in a serpentine path by stepping movement of the carriage andby intermittent movement of the chains. After all the compartments in atray have been filled, the tray is elevated into a stacking chute 22also fixed on the carriage.

The trays 18 are indexed from front to rear of the machine (to the rightin Fig. l) by the chain mechanism comprising a pair of spaced apartparallel chains 186, each having lugs 188 in opposition to one anotheron the chains and equally spaced therealong, the lugs of the chainsbeing operativeto engage the forward end of a tray and propel the trayto the rear of the machine upon indexing movement of the chains. Thechains are trained around sprockets mounted on shafts 192 and 194 at thefront and rear of the carriage 150, the front sprockets being pinned tothe shaft 192 mounted on the carriage and the rear sprockets being looseon the shaft 194. The shaft 192 is mounted in a bearing frame 196secured to the front of the carriage while the shaft 194 is mounted oncarriage plate 197 by brackets 198. The trays themselves are partitionedlongitudinally and transversely to form pockets, rectangular in plan.

A tray is indexed rearwardly of the machine a distance in accordancewith the spacing between the transverse centers of the pockets and thecarriage is indexed longitudinally of the machine, that is, indirections perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Fig. l, distancesdependent on the longitudinal spacing 'of the pockets in the tray. Inaddition the machine provides for a longer transverse indexing movementof the tray rearwardly of the machine on exchange of trays under thegrid transfer nozzle.

To effect the transverse indexing movement of the trays, there isprovided a compression spring 200 reacting.

at its lower end against the bottom of a cage 202 fastened to thecarriage and reacting at its upper end againstthe bottom of rack bar204. The rack bar, is restrained against upward movement by fluidpressure mechanismcomprising a cylinder 206, a piston 208 and a washer210* on the piston, the piston passing freely through an opening 212 ina right angular portion of the rack bar with the washer normallyengaging the upper surface of the angular portion thus restrainingupward movement of the rack bar. On fluid pressure being released fromabove the piston and fluid being admitted beneath the piston, the rackbar will be permitted to rise until otherwise restrained, as will beexplained, but the piston may continue to move upward. On fluid pressurebeing applied above the piston, the washer 210 will move down intoengagement with the rack bar and will depress the bar against the actionof spring 200.

The rack bar is engaged with a pinion 214 freely rotatable on shaft 192.Also mounted on the shaft but pinned thereto is a ratchet wheel 216.This ratchet wheel is driven by a pawl 218 pivotally mounted on an armof a sleeve 220 freely rotatable about the shaft but pinned to the rackbar driven pinion 214. Upward movement of the rack bar will thereforemove the pawl to rotate the ratchet wheel and the shaft 192 whiledownward movement of the rack bar will merely result in the ratchetingof the pawl 216 over the teeth of the ratchet wheel. A spring pressedarresting pawl 222 is provided to prevent undesired backward rotation ofthe ratchet wheel. Also pinned on the shaft is a rotation limiting meansin the form of a stepped detent wheel 224 having a number of short stepsproportional to the transverse spacing between pockets of a tray and asingle long step proportional to the distance a tray should be movedfrom the last transverse pocket of one tray to the first transversepocket of the next tray. Cooperating with this detent wheel is thespring urged stop pawl 226 to limit the rotation of the shaft-to theangular distances provided by the steps on the wheel 224. When the rackbar is down an arm 228 fast on the sleeve 220 has released the stop pawl226; initial movement of the rack bar upward releases the stop pawl tothe action of its spring. But in the meantime the detent wheel 224 hasmoved through a suflicient angular distance to allow the pawl 226 tocome to rest on the next step. Rotating of the detent wheel andtherefore ratchet wheel 216, sleeve 220 and pinion 214 thereforecontinues until the toe of pawl 226- engages the next tooth. Thus thepinion 214 drives therack 204 up a limited extent.

While the rack bar limited in upward displace 3 V I V ment by the detentWheel 224, the piston 298 can continue to move upward until its upperend engages the plunger of a switch 230 serving to reverse :the valvescontrolling the cylinder-206 to efiect downward displacement of thepiston 208' and the rack bar, the pawl 218 at this time ratcheting idlyback over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 216. The movement of the rackin one direction has rotated -theshaft 192 through an angular distancedetermined by the length of the steps on the detent'wheel 224 and thushasdriven the sprockets 19th a given angular distance. Thereby the lugs138 on the chains driven by the sprockets have ad vanceda fixed requireddistance, advancing the grid trays a distance equal to the spacing ofthe pockets therein or the spacing between the lastprow of pockets inone tray and the first row of the-next tray. a

' Having thus described my invention what is claimed L'Tray advancngmeans comprising a conveyor driven from a shaft, a driven pinion looseon said shaft, a pawl movable with said pinion, a ratchet, engaged bysaid pawl, fast on said shaft, mechanism including a rack for drivingsaid pinion, resilient means urging said rack in one direction, holdback means for restraining said rack from movement in said onedirection, there being a lost motion connection between the hold backmeans and the rack, motor means for moving the hold gageable with thesteps'to variably limit rotation of the stepped wheel and shaft.

3. Tray advancing meansacomp'rising a conveyor driven'from a shaft, adriven pinion loose on said shaft, a

sleeve on the shaft fixed to the -pinion, a pawl mounted on said sleeve,a ratchet engaged by said pawl, fast on said shaft, mechanism includinga rack for driving said pinion, resilient means urging said rack in onedirection, hold back means for; restraining said rack from movement insaid one direction, there' being alost motion connection between thehold back means and the rack,

. motor means for moving the hold back means inadimotion torelieve'itiof itsrest'raining'action, a motion limiting means to limitthe rackfdisplacement underinfluence of the resilient means While thehold back means continues to move, and means to reverse the motor meansand the hold back means at the end of the path of movement of the holdback means to cause said hold sleeve on the shaft fixed to the pinion, apawl mounted back means in a direction to relieve it of its restrainingaction, a motion limiting means to limit the rack displacement underinfluence of the resilient means while the hold back means continues to'move, and means to reverse-the motor means and the hold back means atthe end of the path of movement of the hold back means to cause saidhold back means to restore the rack to initial position against theforce of the resilient means;

2. Tray advancing means comprising a conveyor driven from a shaft, adriven pinion loose on said shaft, a pawl movable with said pinion, aratchet, engaged by said pawl, fast on saidishatt, mechanism including arack for driving said 'pinion,'resilient means-urging said rack in onedirection, hold back means for restraining said rack from movement in.said one direction, there being a lost motion connection between thehold back means and'the rack, motor means for-moving the hold 'backmeans in a direction to'relieve it of its restraining action, a motionlimiting means' to limit the rack, displacement under influence of-theresilient means while the hold back means continues to move, and meansto' reverse the motor means and the hold back means at i the end of thepath or" movement 'of the hold back means to cause said hold backmeansitorestore the irackito in+ on said sleeve, a ratchet engaged bysaid pawl, fast on said shaft, mechanism including a rack for drivingsaid pinion, resilient means urging said rack in one direction, holdback means for restraining said rack from movement in said onedirection, there being a lost motion connection between the hold backmeans and the rack, motor means for moving the hold back means ina-direction to relieve it of its restraining action, a motion limitingmeans to limit the rack displacement under infiuence of the resilientmeans while the hold back means continues to move, and means to reversethe motor means and the hold back means at the end of the path ofmovement of the hold back means to cause'said hold back means to restorethe rack to initial position against the force. of the resilient means,said motion limiting steps of different size and a pawl engageable withthe steps to variably limit rotation of the stepped wheel and shaft. V i

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS638,325 Ellsworth Dec. 5, 1899 1,939,383 Bradley 'et' a1. Dec. 12, 19331,946,452 Bridges Feb. 6, 1934 2,072,502 Haub Mar; 2, 1937 2,163,901'Gordon Dec. .28, 1937 2,609,111 Daves et al. Sept. 2, 1952 2,687,813Verrinder Aug. 31, 1954 2,692,691 Harriss et a1. Oct. 26, 71954 WestJuly 2, 1957 l l l

